Pearl Gower passed away January 23, 1978

Clara A. (Alice) Gower passed away Feb 12, 1983(Source: Ga Deaths 1919-1998 at ancestry.com)

Articles have been edited by Suzanne Forte for brevity and to avoid mention of living individuals.

Miss Pearl Gower, age 90, and Mrs. Alice Gower, age 85, have been sisters in law for over 64 years.

Both ladies, who have lived in Loganville for years, were born and raised in Walton County.

Miss Pearl is the  daughter of the late Billy Gower and the late Fannie Giles, pioneer of Walton County.  They lived in the Bold Springs section of the county and Pearl lived at the old home place for years.

During her 90 years, Pearl taught school in many sections of Walton County, Bold springs, Piney Grove, Oak Grove and Sharon.  She completed school at the old A and M school at Walker Park before going part of a semester to Young Harris College.  Her sister, the late Willie Mae Gower also taught in Walton and Gwinnett Counties.

"While I was teaching", Pearl says, "I boarded with a lot of different families.  I paid rent and helped out in the home.  I made about $22 a month for teaching back then.  One family I lived with were Mr. and Mrs. Tom Watson, the great grand parents of Donald Watson."

Alice, who married Pearl's brother Roy, is the daughter of the late Jim Tuck of Between and the late Ida Watson of the Windsor community.  She went to school at the old frame school in Loganville and later to the new two story building, which is gone now.  She went through the eighth grade before having to leave school to stay with her sick mother.

"Roy", she says, "died this past November.  We had been married for 63 years and lived at many places in the county, including Windsor, Between, Youth, Bold Springs and Loganville."

Alice has five children and 11 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren.

Pearl and Alice are both life long members of Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church on the Winder Highway.  Shiloh was constituted in 1823.

"I've been a member longer than anyone else there", say Alice, who joined the church in 1912.  Pearl joined Shiloh in 1937.

Why have they been blessed with such long lives?  Pearl, who at age 75 picked 100 pounds of cotton to help out a neighbor, says, "The Lord has been good to me.  I wouldn't change anything about my life."

Alice, who likes to visit the sick as much as she can, says, "You live a longer and better life if you eat common food.  I also go to bed early and get up early, and I always eat three meals a day".